City dad wants inventory of housing beneficiaries

After his appointment as the new chairman of the city council’s committee on housing, councilor Richard “Ritchie” Osmeña now wants an inventory of all beneficiaries of the city’s low-cost housing programs.

Through a resolution that was unanimously approved by the City Council last Wednesday, the son of former city vice mayor Renato V. Osmeña requested the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor to provide him the necessary details about the city’s housing programs.

Aside from the names and addresses of the beneficiaries, Osmeña also requested for information on the lots occupied by the concerned urban poor beneficiaries, the records of their amortization payment, the legal documents supporting the grant of said lots to the individuals and some other papers.

The councilor said there is a need to review the implementation of housing programs and policies and to strengthen these if necessary after hearing of problems related to the said programs.

Thousands of urban poor beneficiaries in Cebu City have been provided with low-cost housing. The city buys the lots and the beneficiaries pay the city on installment basis.

Osmeña learned that many of these beneficiaries were no longer paying their obligation to the city, causing surcharges of more than P19 million for the past years.

The City Council, however, has decided to reduce the rate of the penalties from P6 for every P100 unpaid obligation per month to only P1 surcharge for every P100 unsettled payment every month. — Rene U. Borromeo/QSB